Category: July 2025

National Parks Club Learns about Search and Rescue

Linda Harvey At our May meeting, the SaddleBrooke Ranch (SBR) National Parks Club welcomed retired National Park Service (NPS) Ranger Butch Farabee to speak about his experiences in Search and Rescue (SAR) during his 34 years as a park ranger. Many of those years were spent at Yosemite National Park (NP) in California. Ranger Farabee…

Congregation B’nai Midbar at SaddleBrooke – July 2025

Here Comes Summer! Melanie Einbund Summer Shabbat Services Herb Cohn, our religious chair, has arranged summer Shabbat services to be led by lay leaders. Services will be held at various homes. Contact Herb at shofarman@aol.com if you wish to lead or attend a service. Oneg sponsors are encouraged. Seating is limited to 25 people at…

Mudslingers Wedging Class

Sue Fetters We are so lucky at the Pottery Studio to have many talented and skillful members who share their expertise with others still learning the craft. Diane Bouchard is one of those talented potters, and she taught a very informative class on wedging clay. Wedging clay is a process to make sure the clay…

Why Did the Tortoise Cross the Bridge?

Linda Shannon-Hills If you’ve driven along Oracle Road, you may have noticed a curious-looking bridge that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. But this is no ordinary overpass—it’s part of a wildlife corridor designed to protect animals and drivers alike. Thanks to the work of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, this bridge and a companion…

Unit Happenings – July 2025

Unit 6—Third Annual Redneck Party and Fundraiser At the end of May, Unit 6 celebrated the start of the summer season with a redneck themed block party. Neighbors and friends showed up in all manner of redneck and hillbilly attire. The best decorated Male, Female, and Couple were awarded funny prizes and some Starbucks gift…

And Is It FUN?

Christianne Dettmann In an ever-changing world, Rotarians, as noted on the website rotary.org, envision one in which “…people unite and take action to create lasting change—across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” Clubs everywhere use the Four-Way Test, developed in 1932 by Rotary Club of Chicago member Herbert Taylor, to evaluate the things…

SaddleBrooke and Ranch Senior Softball Action!

Fred Mitchell Well, SaddleBrooke and Ranch Senior Softball fans, here’s the past and future in the action-packed world of SB softball. Memorial Day Tournament Yep, softball aficionados, the SSSA Memorial Day Tournament will be in the books when this paper hits your mailbox. More on that in the next edition, but considering past Memorial Day…

Word of the Month: Cudgel

David Zapatka Friend and fellow bridge player, Susan, writes, “I recently read a new word, ‘cudgel.’ Would you research this word for your column?” Cudgel—cud·gel noun: A short, thick stick used as a weapon. verb: To strike or beat with a cudgel; metaphorically, to forcefully apply or exert something, such as pressure or influence Origin…